The United States (US) Government, has formally endorsed Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian minister of finance, for the office of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
In a statement made available to members of the public, the office of the US trade representative, said the government led by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is pleased to support the candidacy of Okonjo-Iweala, who is also a US citizen.
“Dr. Okonjo-Iweala brings a wealth of knowledge in economics and international diplomacy,” the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a statement Friday.
“She is widely respected for her effective leadership and has proven experience managing a large international organization with a diverse membership.” The USTR added it “looks forward to working with a new WTO director-general to find paths forward to achieve necessary substantive and procedural reform of the WTO.”
According to a Bloomberg report, The appointment of a new WTO chief will help the beleaguered organization to confront an array of internal crises and begin deliberating a more structured conversation of how to make 25-year-old WTO fit to govern the 21st century trading system.
The WTO has been without a leader since September, when Roberto Azevedo vacated the position a year before his term was set to expire. Since then, the WTO has been overseen by four unelected deputy directors-general.
